Bentley Gallery

Don Reitz: New Ceramic Works

Phoenix, AZUSASaturday, April 6, 2013–Saturday, April 27, 2013

Phoenix, AZUSASaturday, April 6, 2013–Saturday, April 27, 2013

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 6, 4-7pm
The artist will be present.

Don Reitz is recognized as one of the most important and influential ceramic artists of the last century. He has cultivated a decades-long exploration of wood and salt firing of his pieces to preserve the unique energy and spontaneity of his mark-making.
This exhibition includes new works that Reitz fired using a Japanese anagama kiln, fueled with firewood. The anagama kiln produces fly ash and volatile salts that settle on the pieces during firing. The interaction between flame, ash, and the clay minerals forms a natural ash glaze that shows great variation in color, texture, and thickness, ranging from smooth and glossy to rough and sharp.
Reitz is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, where he taught for 26 years. His work is in numerous museum collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, LACMA, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, and the Renwick Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.